Orange and Pastis Braised Baby Fennel

By Unblond1

Notes: It's one of those dishes that require little in the form of active hands on preparation and that cooks on its own while you can tend to more pressing issues. You can definitely use regular sized fennel for this recipe and do without the pastis by using a couple of anise seeds and broth or water instead. The anise should be subtle enough to play up the natural aroma of the fennel while the orange gives it a nice floral and sweet note.

Ingredients

• 2 bunches baby fennel or 2 medium bulbs fennel (fronds discarded - keep them for salads!)
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice (clementines right now are perfect for this in the South East)
• zest of one orange
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup Pastis (or equivalent in water + 2 star anise)
• 1/3 cup water
• salt and pepper to taste

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from tarteletteblog.com

Preparation

Step 1

Cut the baby fennels in half lengthwise. Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan (I like to use cast iron as much as possible) set over medium high heat and saute the baby fennel until they start to get golden. Add the orange juice, orange zest, Pastis and water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook until the baby fennel is fork tender, 40 minutes to an hour. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until the liquids reduce to a syrup and coat the fennel completely. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
Serve hot.